Hiking the highest mountain in Nikko City and Tochigi Prefecture takes some planning and enough time to do it. It's that the peak is set back in the local range.

We highly recommend camping at the Yumoto Camping site to get an early start as the hiking loop is a total of 11.5 km. Also, we don't recommend returning the way that we did as the trail from Goshiki to Yumoto is way overgrown and dangerous for your footing as you will see in the following photographs.

It's a long hike and so we have a special offer for those that will climb it. You should plan to camp at both the camping area at the base AND camp at the mountain hut.

Plan to camp at the base and get an early start and by nightfall find your way to the mountain hut. Then the next morning, set off to explore the Shirane Mountain, Goshiki and Goshikinuma and Midagaike (mountain lakes). Be sure to catch the last bus from Yumoto Onsen (by 7pm) and take the bus all the way back to JR Nikko station or Tobu Nikko station.

We offer something like 2 nights at SPACE riverhouse, you do the camping for 1 or 2 nights and then come back for a night at SPACE riverhouse.

The overnight hut is that little red roof building on the path seen on the left side of Shirane.

We really don't recommend the direct trail from Goshiki back to the Yumoto Onsen area. It is way overgrown and along a gully. So, you will lose your footing and not be able to see where the next step is.

The trail back is seriously overgrown and dangerous.

You can barely see anything in front of you while you are walking.

The gully is deep and sheer in many locations along the trail. NOT recommended.